Teenage sailor Abby Sunderland flies home

Teenage sailor Abby Sunderland is on her way home to California after her solo
circumnavigation bid failed when she sailed into heavy storms in the
Southern Ocean earlier this month.

Abby Sunderland, 16, looks out from her sailboat, Wild EyesPhoto: AP

7:00AM BST 28 Jun 2010

About two weeks after her rescue at sea, Miss Sunderland left the French island of Reunion, off the southeastern coast of Africa, en route to France, then on to California.

The American teenager's attempt to sail solo around the world ended June 10 when her mast snapped in an Indian Ocean storm, sparking an extensive international rescue mission. In April she had given up hope of becoming the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, when she was forced to stop for repairs.

Miss Sunderland, who said before boarding the plane that she was looking forward to seeing her family again, carried a pair of large blue gum boots given to her as a memento by French fishing boat that rescued her in a remote part of the Indian Ocean.

After her rescue, it took about two more weeks at sea to reach Reunion. Miss Sunderland's 18-year-old brother, Zac, was there to greet her as she arrived. At age 17, Zac Sunderland briefly held the record that his sister had hoped to beat.

Miss Sunderland has dismissed concerns about the wisdom of undertaking such a dangerous voyage at so young an age, saying she was well-prepared for the trip. She said that all the criticism of her parents was "ungrounded."